The Saturday Scene

The first of two blessedly treatment-free days passed without much excitement. The big treat was going up to the Davis Farmers' Market to buy corn on the cob, still sweet and delicious. Then I couldn't resist some Japanese eggplant for grilling or some vine-ripened tomatoes. I held off on the raspberries; I don't know why but I did. Perhaps next week. And I bought some of the local apple grower's apple juice. A wonderful treat.

Jim did get out and do a bit of gardening. Or better said, quite a bit of garden cleaning. These are two of the four leaf piles he built.
As I said earlier, the winds at the beginning of the week virtually stripped the trees in our yard and in our neighbor's yard. His leaves ended up in our garden. Almost as soon as Jim raked and swept another shower of leaves fell from the Pistache trees. There won't be an end to it until there is a cold snap and all the leaves drop at once.

For my part, I cold-packed the mince meat we made last year. It has been perking in the closet since then. It was now ready to put in jars and seal for future use. This recipe is one from Merle Ellis, a fellow who used to have a "cooking" show on KQED years ago, dedicated to meat issues, he being a butcher. This is called Merle's Mom's Mincemeat, and it is the BEST recipe ever. The problem is finding suet. If you go to a meat section of a supermarket and ask for suet, they look at you strangely and tell you that all their meat comes pre-packed and suet is NOT something that is in any of the packages. We finally located a butcher shop in Roseville (25 miles away) that can get you suet if you give them a three or four week advance notice. This stuff is the worst kind of fat you can possible eat (along with lard) but you simply can't make real mincemeat without it!

It is quite strange to sit down to dinner with Jim across the table but not eating. I had better get used to it. He will probably not be able to eat again for several weeks. Nothing even appeals to him anymore. He will begin digging into (tapping into?) the cases of liquid supplement the hospital sent. The doc said that in a couple of months, more or less, he may feel like eating solid food again. Meanwhile, I get to eat everything I especially love and he does not: lots of fish (to hell with the mercury levels), piles of veggies. A quasi-vegetarian diet.

The evening air is again a bit nippy. But we had a nice stroll through the neighborhood. People's houses are decorated for the Halloween festivities; carved pumpkins, spooky cobwebs, strands of lights. This is definitely not my favorite holiday time. i have never been able to get into the mood. Not this year, either.

Don't forget to "fall behind" and reset your clocks.